The Standard
by TunaForDesert
Summary: Here's the thing about Kuroko Tetsuya. He liked boys, and he liked his boys based on his favorite characters. Enter Hanamiya Makoto, sweeping him off his feet with references from books. Or: in which the Seirin freshmen are actual nerds. Contains spoilers from various books.


"I fear oblivion."

Tetsuya knew nobody heard it. The mess hall was loud with chatters that it swallowed the words whispered by Hanamiya Makoto who was sitting in front of him and staring straight into his eyes. What was he expecting?

"I'm sorry but what?"

Hanamiya huffed, but there was no malice in the gesture. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa. "I can't believe I have a crush on a boy with such dense nature."

Tetsuya flushed. His mind raced a thousand mile an hour. Where had he heard that particular phrase?

"There will come a time," he said, slowly because the memory was hazy but yes, it was there, "when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that's what everyone else does."

Hanamiya's eyes shone with approval. Tetsuya should not feel anything about it. But the butterflies fluttered around in his stomach wildly that it was hard to look into the other's eyes. He ended up covering his face with The Kite Runner.

A few seconds later, he peeked from behind the book. And he blurted out what could be taken as an invitation to flirt by Hanamiya.

"Why are you staring at me?

"Because you're beautiful."

Tetsuya heard somebody choked behind him. He turned and saw Kagami gaping at them, a drink in hand before he retreated to the corner of the mess hall. Tetsuya sighed and put his legs down. He put down the book, making sure it was dog-eared before he faced Hanamiya again.

"That was the version of the question from the movie." He said.

"I'm glad you noticed." Hanamiya said. "I figured you'd read The Fault in Our Stars when I saw that," he pointed at the book on the table between them, "so I decided to give it a try. You did not fail me."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"How about we go Dutch and have a picnic outside?"

Okay, now he was very sure that Hanamiya was trying to make a move on him. Right. Like watching Kagami reading The Hunger Games was not weird enough. It's not the book, really. Just the idea of Kagami staying still for hours gave him itches in the chest.

"I'd prefer Amsterdam, to be honest. And dinner and champagne and maybe somebody complimenting me in Dutch when I have no idea what they are saying."

"Shall I use my Wish on you? Of course, I'd have to make myself a side effect of relentless mutation that made the diversity of life on earth possible first."

It was even more ridiculous when Hanamiya said it like he came up with the last words on his own. Tetsuya cracked a smile and took the book back in his hands.

"And now you're back to reading your book. Spoiler alert: they're half-brothers."

"Because Baba was filled with grief when his wife died that he committed adultery with a woman that has questionable moral. This is my third time reading it, Hanamiya-san."

Hanamiya scowled. "Pay attention to me."

"I'd love to flirt with you," Tetsuya said. "But I want to enjoy our free afternoon before the coaches murder us tomorrow with the training menu."

"You do realize that your group will have me next as coach?"

Finally, Tetsuya relented and lowered the book. "Your point being…?"

"I can go easy on you." Hanamiya smirked. "If you would just pay attention to me and flirt with quotes and references that may or may not lead to both of us being laid when this camp is over."

"I don't put out until the third date. I'm old fashioned like that." Of course Tetsuya would not take advantage of Hanamiya's offer, but there was nothing wrong with indulging himself with a chance of dating Hanamiya Makoto. He was despicable, yes, but just look at his favorite characters from Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus sagas. Luke Castellan, Nico di Angelo and Octavian. To be fair, the first two were just misguided. And Octavian was a good source of humor even though he was a boot-licking bastard and had control streak the size of Rome. Tetsuya wanted to have his own Octavian. A lanky, pale, stuffed toy murderer. Yum.

Here's the thing about Kuroko Tetsuya. He liked boys, and he liked his boys based on his favorite characters. He had considered Takao Kazunari who possessed a remarkable resemblance with Leo Valdez, the son of Hephaestus Tetsuya had gushed over in the privacy of his bedroom, but that crush quickly vanished when he found out that Takao could very well take down thugs twice his size. Leo was a cute and small tinkerer. He was not a fighter. So, no. Adios. Arrivederci.

"Sure." Hanamiya said. "As long as you don't go Monica on me."

"That's…what?" Tetsuya's eyes slowly widened. "Oh no, don't tell me you…"

Hanamiya put up a hand. "I'm joking. Now, do I or do I not have your undivided attention?"

"If you go Isaac on me when I'm Hazel over heels for you," Tetsuya said, "I will find you in the Underworld and ask Fields of Punishment for you while I go to Elysium."

"Thank you, my treacherous darling. Now, may I have the pleasure of sitting next to you while whispering sweet nothings from books to your ears?"

Tetsuya huffed. "You may."

And just to be mean, he added: "Miss Lamarr."

* * *

><p>"Tell me they're not flirting and it's just me."<p>

Furihata Kouki was in a nightmare, starring Kuroko Tetsuya and Hanamiya Makoto who were now cuddling like it was nobody's business. The two were reading a book together. Hanamiya had a hand around Kuroko's shoulders and the younger boy's head rested comfortable on his shoulder. Once in a while, Hanamiya nuzzled Kuroko's hair.

"They are." Kagami said with a pained grimace. The Seirin's freshmen plus Takao were occupying one of the corners of the mess hall. They were spying on Kuroko and Hanamiya after Kagami ran to them in horror.

"Why." Takao moaned painfully. "I was sure Kuroko liked me when he asked if I can like, beat up bullies."

Kagami snorted. "If you'd just said 'no, I like to tinker with stuffs and I can make fire,' he'd have date you in a heartbeat."

"How," Kawahara breathed out in amazement, "did you figure that out?"

"He made me choose between Twilight and PJO plus HOO."

"You poor bastard." Kawahara said.

"The hell are you guys talking about? PJO? HOO? What?" Takao scrunched his eyebrows.

"Non-believer." Fukuda shooed at the point guard. "You are no longer welcome in the circle of Seirin freshmen as an honorary member. You've outlasted your worth when Hanamiya made his move. Which, by the way, was very smooth and neat, when you ignore the fact that he's a miserable bastard."

"I like to think he's a self-aggrandizing bastard." Kawahara said.

"Please, no more references." Furihata moaned.

* * *

><p>"Why," Hanamiya said through bites of his rice, "don't we have our own <em>always <em>like Isaac and Monica? Like how Augustus and Hazel have their _okay_?"

"Why don't you come up with something, Hanamiya-san?"

"Together?" Hanamiya put down his chopsticks. Tetsuya looked up from his food questioningly.

"Together." Hanamiya looked satisfied. "It'll be our thing. We'll be together through anything. We'll be together forever."

"That…" Tetsuya struggled with words. "That is awfully straightforward and fast of you. It's been barely twenty four hours since you charmed the pants off me."

"Why not? I think it's a good promise."

"Even though it means little right now?"

"Because it means little right now."

Tetsuya did not argue.

* * *

><p>End.<p>

**A/N**: Because I am a miserable lonely bitch who has nobody to share her thoughts with. And no internet for one week made it horrible. Seriously, I'm moving to the PJO fandom soon. As soon as I write something that is remotely close to a crossover between KNB and PJO. Kuroko's favorite characters are actually mine. Leo Valdez is a godsend, my salvation in the adventure of six demigods that have the hots for each other while Leo humps Festus. Not sorry. TFIOS reduced me into tears for the last six chapters and some before those. I do hope somebody got the 'my treacherous darling' part.

* * *

><p>黒子のバスケ © Fujimaki Tadatoshi<p>

The Fault in Our Stars © John Green

Percy Jackson and the Olympians © Rick Riordan

Heroes of Olympus © Rick Riordan

The Kite Runner © Khaled Hosseini

The Hunger Games © Suzanne Collins


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